As I Fade
by Silver Blur
Summary: America. Forgotten and dead. That's at least what Panem thought. Or what Panem hoped. Alfred F. Jones. A regular person roaming the streets of District 12. No one knows where he came from. Except the person who found him lying on the forest floor half-dead. What happens when good ol' Alfred is found lying in the forest by Katniss and Peeta's eight-year-old daughter?
1. Prologue

America stood weakly against the wall, feeling ultimately cornered. He looked stiffly up at the man before him, with a scowl plastered on his face.

"Who do you think you are…?" He croaked, every word sending jolts of pain through his lungs.

The man laughed, hunching over in such a way, you might've mistaken him for dying. "Who am I?" He sneered. "I am Panem. And I am here to crush you and your comrades. I have plans for a perfect world, and the only thing in my way, is the Nations." He seemed to trail off in a pool of thought.

If America could without damaging his lungs, he would have laughed. This dude is so _monologuey. _What is he going to do? Speech him to death?

"Or at least what's left of you." He chuckled, kicking Alfred in the jaw. The Nation coughed.

_Is he targeting the other countries? Or am I the only one taking these blows? _He'd hoped not. _Maybe they're all right. Maybe they've just been minding their own business… for the past two months. _

"Look at you. So pathetic. And I thought you were the _hero._ I guess the title is the man, after all."

America wasn't happy. More like, _furious_. This was _his land. _This was _his people. _This was _him. _He jumped up with the last of his strength, and landed a punch in this _Panem's _gut. "_It takes a lot more to than that to kill a country._" He growled, pushing his fist farther into Panem's stomach. He heard Panem take a sharp intake of breath, and America smirked tauntingly.

Suddenly, Panem pushed America off of him, and America felt numb as his vision faded.

"But can't you see?" Panem coughed, regaining his composure. _"__I already have."_


	2. Chapter 1

**Ok, that last chapter was merely a prologue, and chapters will not always be that short.**

**But on the other hand, thank you for everyone who is reading this! Every view means the world to me, and reviews mean the universe! *Ominous thunder* OH AND BIG THANKS TO TheFlamingOrangePhantomhive for being the first one to review! You, my friend, are the ABSOLUTE BEST. You bring tears to my eyes! Or it might be time I should dust my room… either or, I HAVE WATER COMING OUT OF MY FACE. Maybe not, but I am just really excited. Oh jeez, I'm turning into Panem with my Author's Note! By the way, Katniss and Peeta's rebellion failed, and they were killed after they had their two children. Rye and Willow are taken care of by a woman named Lomie. Seeya in the second authors note! *Jumps off stage***

It was a beautiful fall day. Sun was shining, the few birds there were, were chirping, and small buzz of people were talking in the town's center, that had seemingly built itself. Everyone was walking with at least _someone. _Even the Mellark children were dashing around. For twelve and eleven year olds, they were unusually energetic. Always running around, bumping into people when in the center, and somehow always getting into some sort of mischief.

"Rye! Rye! I know your somewhere behind-"Eight-year-old Willow paused and looked at the tree in front of her. "This tree!" She shouted, jumping in front of where she thought he'd be.

She groaned at her failed guess once again. Where could he _be?_ She was sure she'd checked _every single tree_ in the _entire forest._

_He's eleven, you're twleve. Don't let him outsmart you. _She thought as she checked under a shrub, finding _surprise, surprise- _nothing.

She continued through the forest, checking every nook and cranny as she went along. _Gah!_ She thought as she kicked some rocks. She was about to turn back and admit defeat when she heard something move. She slowly approached the source, and carefully peaked around the tree the noise was coming from.

What she saw- was a man. A man with Sandy blonde hair, and glasses. He wasn't anything special, and Willow guessed he wasn't. He wasn't wearing anything fancy, just a white long sleeved shirt and some rather odd greenish-tan looking pants. The only thing that looked that might have cost quite a bit of money were the gloves and those glasses.

She walked up to him and nudged his forehead with her foot. "Maybe he's dea-" "PANEM!" The man jumped up and punched the tree behind him, sending it flying into another trunk. Willow made a squeak of surprise as she took a step back if she had to run.

Alfred looked to his side to see a young petrified girl about to sprint for her life. He slowly lowered his pose (Which resembled a Superman pose) and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Uh, Hi." He said, adopting a slouched position. Her eyes darted around, and she said carefully But quickly, "Who are you and how'd you do that?"

He'd have to tell her, didn't he? "Tell me your name, first." He tried to reason.

"Willow Mellark, now _who are you _and _how did you do that?_" She demanded, about to bolt for her life.

Alfred sat down on the splintered stump, and decided to introduce himself like he would a normal civilian. "Hi, my name is Alfred F. Jones, and what you saw was me punching a very brittle tree."

"How should I know to trust you? You could be a peacemaker for all I know!" Alfred's brow furrowed. He's never heard of the term 'Peacemaker.'

Then it hit him. The scenes flashed before him. _The attack. Worry about everyone. The death. The danger. And Panem killing him – or so he thought. _Alfred slouched over, letting out a sigh of defeat escape his lips. "Where are we?" He muttered, feeling ultimately beat.

Willow raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. "We're in District Twelve." Alfred perked up at the thought of Panem not actually creating a nation of his own. He decided to question her further.

"What country? Where is District Twelve?" Willow seemed to really consider running at this point.

Willow said slowly, "Panem, why?"

Alfred shouted in anger. "That poor excuse for a man! That bloody-" Alfred paused, realizing his British was showing. He closed his eyes, trying to find _some_ sort of way to overthrow Panem and bring back the Nations, but he couldn't seem to formulate a plan that made sense, or would work. He bet that everyone else would've overthrown him by now, and everyone would be living in peace for a bit. The Nation scowled at himself. They would be off saving the world while he sat playing games and-

"-Are you OK? Do you need any help?" A small voice rang. Alfred lazily looked to his side, getting into a less rigid stance.

"Yes, I'm fine. By any chance, could you take me to where you live? I understand if you don't trust me, but I'm really lost, and don't know if I'll be able to get back home." Alfred inwardly gave himself a pat on the back. It was a well crafted lie, but he wasn't sure if this girl would buy it. After all, she had displayed some serious attitude towards him earlier.

She skeptically glanced at him. Alfred silently said pleas that she would say yes. He honestly didn't want to stay in the forest for the night, who knows what lurks in there. Alfred shuddered, many images popping into his head, some involving things so _scary, _so _intimidating. _

Like Russia!

"Uh, I guess so. You seem trustworthy enough, even if I did find you sleeping on the forest floor." Alfred's head jerked up in surprise, as he definitely wasn't expecting _that. _She's a twelve year old girl right? Wouldn't she, like, threaten to cover him in nail polish?

"Come with before I change my mind." She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Alfred to follow her. Alfred didn't argue, but kept his distance away from her. She _could _cover him in nail polish, right?

Willow grimaced at herself. Inviting a stranger – From the woods nonetheless – to live with her for a bit? Was she insane? Was she having heart problems? Tapeworms? Willow highly doubted tapeworms would have convinced her to escort him home, but she definitely hoped he'd come in handy around the District, or else he would be considered useless _pronto. _The man who'd called himself Alfred – But had shouted Panem and kicked down a tree – seemed overjoyed at staying somewhere, but Willow would make sure if he had _any _malicious intentions, she'd kick him out sleet, rain, hail, no matter what the weather, and made sure he got pneumonia, frostbite, or better, both.

She took quick glances over at the man, hoping she wouldn't notice her quickly studying him. _Maybe he's a ninja, or a pirate, what if he's a – _Willow's raging train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a hand gripping her shoulder, keeping her from walking any further. She could immediately recognize it was Alfred, thanks to those leather gloves he wore. _Is he really going to kill me? _Willow stiffly stood, painfully waiting for something to happen. A gun, maybe? Perhaps a sword? She waited. _Chopsticks for all I care!_

"Uh, Willow? You were about to walk into that fence and I think it might electrocute you…" Alfred trailed off.

Willow felt her cheeks heat up. Really? _Maybe I'm just getting paranoid. _"Oh… Thanks, there's a gap around the fence over here."

The two had finally made it to their destination, and upon seeing the place that they lived in, America felt anger boil up inside of him.

**Ok guys! First chapter done! Woo! It's pretty short, but I'm trying to raise my grades in school, so I kind of have to make these really late.**

**Can you guys see the cover, or is it blank? It isn't showing up for me.**

**Anyway, Thanks for reading every single one of you! Please leave a review, and I hope you have a wonderful week!**

**_Quick question, who do you guys want me to insert into the story: Canada or Britain?_**


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